No Matter How Much Democrats Disliked Bush, They Still Never Shut Down the Government

It goes without saying that most Democrats and liberals were no fans of George W. Bush. Some simply disliked the guy, many absolutely hated him. For many liberals, President George W. Bush was by far one of the worst (if not the worst) presidents in modern history.

But even at his worst, Democrats in Congress never shut down the government. Sure, Republicans controlled Congress for a large part of Bush’s time in office, but Democrats still had power at certain points. Power which would have presented them with the opportunity to possibly attempt impeachment, threaten not to raise the debt ceiling as Bush was busy doubling our national debt or simply shut down the government in order to get their way on any number of issues.

But you know what? They never did.

As much as liberals and Democrats hated G.W. Bush, it still never reached the vile hatred Republicans have toward President Obama.

Now I know what some Republicans will say, “That’s because President Bush was a great man and not nearly the disaster President Obama has been.”

To those Republicans, I’ll simply say this: Are you out of your minds? Two unfinished wars, a collapsed economy (yes that happened on Bush’s watch), a budget that went from balanced to record deficits and a national debt that doubled—Bush was a catastrophe.

And despite what Republicans want to believe, or are told by the right-wing media, our economy has drastically improved under President Obama.

But as this government shutdown continues, and the threat of a U.S. default is on the horizon, there are still Republicans who maintain this shutdown is the fault of President Obama and the Democratic party.

Based on what? There’s zero evidence to support that. This shutdown is completely the fault of the Republican party and John Boehner’s spineless choice to basically relinquish his leadership position to Ted Cruz. It was Boehner’s decision not to let the Senate’s clean continuing resolution come up for a vote in the House — which would have been passed before the government was ever shut down.

So don’t tell me this is “Obama’s shutdown” when Boehner could have allowed the House of Representatives to vote on a bill that the Senate passed and kept the government open.

And again, what prior evidence is there to suggest Democrats ever wanted our government to be shut down? This has only happened twice in the last two decades and both times Republicans controlled the House of Representatives with a Democrat in the White House.

If Democrats really wanted our government to be shut down, they would have done so when they had their chances under G.W. Bush.

But just think about that for a moment. In the last two decades we’ve had 2 presidents that were Democrats and during both their tenures, Republicans caused a government shutdown. With this shutdown being by far the most idiotic. Especially when you consider that had John Boehner found his spine, there never would have been a shutdown to begin with.

Then add the debt ceiling vote into the mix, something Republicans voted to raise seven separate times under G.W. Bush, and the level of stupidity emanating from the Republican party right now is immeasurable.

Sure, they’ll continue to perpetuate this myth that it’s President Obama and Democrats that aren’t willing to negotiate—but why should they? We had a deal that would reopen the government that was sent to the House of Representatives! John Boehner just refused to allow the House to vote on it. So why in the hell should President Obama negotiate?

As Chris Matthews said the other night, this isn’t about politics, it’s about the extreme hatred of Obama. It’s the right-wing fear machine that’s conjured up some irrational disdain toward Obama to the point that these people would literally rather see our country burn to the ground than agree with him on anything.

Because like I said, as much as liberals and Democrats disliked G.W. Bush—they still never shut down the government or threatened to allow our nation to default on our debt.

But that’s exactly what Republicans have done and are threatening to do.

Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on both Twitter and Facebook. Have feedback, inquiries, criticism or compliments? You can email him as well.

Comments

Bush presented budgets that could be negotiated and passed. That has yet to happen under Obama. Bush negotiated with all of congress and didn’t stomp his feet when he didn’t get his way…he got it done. Those two endless wars were voted on in a bipartisan nature and passed by both D’s and R’s. The collapsed economy was due to a resistance by congress to reign in Fanny and Freddy.

Republicans have been giving Obama what he wants for 5 years. If there was a budget in place, one that even the D’s could vote for, there’d be no shutdown, there’d be no debt ceiling talk, and there’d be no rule by crisis mentality. Have the R’s mucked things up, here? Sure, but so has Obama and the D’s. I say throw them ALL out…they’ve lost the by the people and for the people policy governing.

The only thing that will ‘fix’ this mess going forward is Term Limits. We have term limits on the presidency, and they should be in place for congress. As it is we have politicians that have been in congress longer than I’ve been alive. They have no idea what life is like in Main Street America.

MNJeff

And, despite the hype in the media, if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, we will NOT default. The current ‘budget’ would continue and the government is obligated to pay our debt first. The president is obligated by the Constitution to make those payments first. If he chooses not to, then it will be on him and he will have chosen to break the law.

We have the monies coming in with more than enough to continue making our payments.The government will merely have to tighten their belts at the kitchen table like every other American has had to do when there’s no new money to spend.

Brian

tHEY HAVEN’T GIVEN OBAMA SH#T BUT HEADACHES. Stop lying to yourself. The REPUBLICANS THEMSELVES SAID ON TV REPEATEDLY THEY WOULD NOT COOPERATE WITH OBAMA ON ANYTHING. People like you disgust me. All it boils down to is you are either dumb or a bigot or both.

Susan Walters

great Fox News talking point you got there.

proud2beDem

You are in a Delution when it comes to dept celling and budget . We would defalt wheather to bills or other obligations . I live in Mn. and must say that you must be drinking Bachman tea .

Caroline Dean Thornburgh

Are you really that bad at spelling or has the Canadian wind frozen your brain?

Gene Smith

No, you got your talking points wrong. The incoming money would pay the interest on the loans for the time being. However, payments for SS, veterans benefits, etc would would be “furloughed” to provide payments on interest. When the debt ceiling is challenged, this spooks lenders. The US was the gold standard for investment, but if Congress threatens to not meet their obligations, then lenders are going to want higher interest rates to make the loans. All this grand-standing just increases our future debt, even if we had a balanced budget. An increase of 1% equals to $170 Billion annually added to the debt just because a few people wanted to make head-lines.

Dana

Right, the “we can still make the interest payments” argument. Ever tried that with a student-loan or credit-card company?

Susan

“Republicans have been giving Obama what he wants for 5 years.”

The Republicans, especially the Tea Party, have fought tooth and nail against everything Obama has wanted to accomplish. Your ignorance in that short sentence alone invalidates your opinions.

gemma liar

susan,,,,,why O why do U hit creepy regressive MN jeff with facts???? that is akin to TRYING to teach my pet TEGU to read and write

SteveiCarmen

Yea, I stopped reading after that sentence.
The ACA has been a law for 3 years. They’ve been fighting it since it was first put on the table.
I’m pretty sure some of them think this is their chance to get back at Clinton.

Gene Smith

No President Clinton is a white male, this kind of hatred is reserved for President Obama.

chiefjgmac

Racist!!!

Brian Frang

How in the hell is it racist to point out that the sole reason that the Tea Party-controlled GOP hates Obama so much is because he’s black? It’s the truth.

chiefjgmac

Just trying to beat you to the punch, figured that was your next post!!!

chiefjgmac

Truth according to who ?? You. hahahahahaha, that is classic.

Brian Frang

The truth according to every shred of evidence available. In existence. The claims that he’s a muslim: Based purely on the color of his skin, DESPITE the fact that those claims have been repeatedly debunked. The “birthers” Why didn’t that ever happen with WHITE presidential candidates? Hell, Obama was born in Hawaii, and some of your fellow teabaggers think he’s ineligible, but Ted Cruz is eligible because “Canada’s not really a different country, anyways” Something’s not right there.

chiefjgmac

“The truth according to every shred”……. You my man need to go check your shreds again. Again with the name calling…..and potty mouth. You must make your mom really proud! Do you even know what T.E.A. stands for? Grow up……………..

Brian Frang

Tyranny, egomania and authoritarianism? I find it very hard to believe someone who is so rabidly defending the Tea Party is not a Tea Partier, themselves, so we’ll add liar to your list of accomplishments. And yeah, my parents ARE very proud of me. I at least have a fucking soul.

chiefjgmac

Again with the name calling, lol. Is that all you got?? I am not defending the TEA Party, I just don’t like bullies like you. And still the potty mouth. Carry on Brian.

chiefjgmac

And by the way bud I am not a TEA Partier, but I bet you are a ‘teabagger’.

kyle_gibson

No it doesn’t. I would give you a long list of logical fallacies, but I’d just be patronizing.

gemma liar

hey brainiac…………… can U say ” Hillary”??

demagogue

Since when is being smart an insult? Oh right… if you come from a red state.

suburbancuurmudgeon

You are delusional. The Republicans vowed from Day 1 to obstruct anything Obama proposed.

The housing bubble was due to Wall Street looking for profits in a time of record low interest rates, not Fannie and Freddie. Even the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission blamed Wall Street, saying Fannie and Freddie didn’t lead the charge down the rabbit hole, but willingly followed. And if Bush couldn’t do anything about Fannie and Freddie in 8 years, then he was a weaker president than we all thought.

Gene Smith

Reagan, Clinton, and Bush all were disciples of Ayn Rand–believing any government intervention into the market place would necessarily lead to a bad outcome. Even fraud should be ignored as the market would self correct. Alan Greenspan believed this. When the regulator in charge of derivatives early on suspected fraud and ignored Greenspan instruction not to, but initiated an investigation, Alan Greenspan went to Congress and had a reorganization law passed to remove derivatives from her jurisdiction. He was not evil, he really believed the market would self correct. The banking collapse was the self correction, and if the government had not stepped in, a major depression was imminent. Greenspan retired, and has since admitted he was wrong. Whoopee. Unfortunately, most of the neo-cons still believe in Ayn Rand.

Faye Volcy

And that is all they have been doing during Obama’s tenure.

Skyhollower

Really? Really? You have got to be kidding! This has been the most ineffective Congress due to the fact that the Republicans have had a stance that they will not agree to anything Obama / Democrats puts on the table, no matter what. Reading further comments below I am not the only one informing you of this. A joke was going around that if Obama came out in support of oxygen Republicans would hold their breaths. As extreme as that is, there is some truth to it. Republicans Instead wasted tax payer money by voting to defund ACA over 40 times, knowing it would never happen. In any corporation that would be considered fiscally irresponsible and the share holders would be putting in a new B.O.D. very quickly.

Tea Party Republicans have been wanting this shut down since 2010. The Republicans were invited over 15 times to join the Democrats in Budget / Debt ceiling talks and all those times they refused to participate. What they wanted was this moment so they could hold the President the Democrats and the American people hostage to get what they want because their temper tantrums didn’t work. This, as one Congressperson put it, is Political Malpractice.

Bravo / Bravo to the President and the Democrats for sticking to what is right and not setting a precedent by allowing this shutdown to influence them. The same congratulations to the Republicans who stood up to the Tea Party nuts, sadly there weren’t enough of them.

If they had given in to these demands, this form of political terrorism and malpractice would become the norm, and we the American People are not hostages.

Gene Smith

I bet you were one of those that believed Sen McCarthy that there was a communist behind every progressive door. After much cost to the nation, it turns out he was just a lier, and a demagogue. Everyday there are new lies spread by the Koch-neo-conservatives. Most of the US knows and admits the most recent attempt to blame the shut-down on Obama is just demagoguery. I believe many other people know in their hearts, but just cannot admit it. Hopefully, that extreme, lie-at-all-costs wing of the Republican party will go the way of Joe McCarthy–forever reviled in disgrace. Lets hope so, before they destroy the grand old party of Lincoln. (As far as the budget, the President and the Democratic Senate have produced one, but the House Republicans refuse to vote on it. As far as the Republicans giving Obama what he wants, he must not have wanted much since the congress has pass less legislation than any in history.)

Dana

Obama’s had a hostile Congress for nearly his entire time in office. Nice try, though.

MDJen

negotiated, passed, then EMERGENCY we need to spend 70 billion on a war that isn’t in the budget.

LittleD

MN Jeff – Please name ONE thing the Repubs have given Obama since he has been in office. Just one. I’ll wait….

O

Wait, didn’t the government shut down in 2006?

O

I think I remember it because I was kinda young (18) and had never heard of the government shutting down and got nervous that bad things would happen. I’m pretty sure it did in fact shutdown or almost shut down in June of 2006.

suburbancuurmudgeon

Nope, there were votes but the government didn’t shut down. Last time was 1994-1995; the GOP, led by Newt Gingrich. It blew up in their faces.

SteveiCarmen

That was only in New Jersey.
This is on a national level.

Neil

Fear of a Black Potus!

WGAF

They HATE Obama….more than they LOVE America. Period.

Rebecca

All we can hope is that this results in a catastrophic loss of power for the Republicans over the next FEW elections. “Let the market decide”!

F2JP

The 10/1 Domestic Terrorist Attack AKA The
10/1 GOP Suicide Pact

bailey78

The shut down has nothing to do with the ACA it has everything to do with a Black Man being in the white House

canevandas

It really has nothing to do with him being black. If it were a white man pulling the shit he has been doing in office, they would rightfully be just as angry.

Faye Volcy

It has everything to do with his being Black!

kyle_gibson

Why? How?

trueblue

Oh yes it does. After first spending some time on a social networking site that is supposedly not biased, I saw continual threats on the president’s life by many users and constant use of the N word about him. This was before he was even elected and after he was, it got much worse. So, then I knew why he was hated and it has everything to do with race, but the right will never admit it, never. One man even told me he was “horrified” to be ruled over by a “negro.” His words and I knew there were many, many racists out there who believed that.

trueblue

Just agreeing with you Faye, my first sentence didn’t sound quite right.

Brian Frang

“The shit he’s been doing in office”? You mean, trying to balance the budget, get every American insured so healthcare costs go down, writing jobs bills that the Republicans in Congress refuse to look at and trying to pay off the debt that BUSH incurred with Iraq and Afghanistan? How is that anything that would make them “rightfully angry”?

sick of Chicago

Maybe you should look at the deficit under Obama, but I know You’ll just blame Bush like every other democrat!

Brian Frang

No, I blame congressional Republicans who have blocked every single jobs, stimulus and payment bill. Making it impossible to FIX the budget. What I blame Bush for is getting us into this position, in the first place. But speaking of the deficit, EVERY Democrat since Carter has left a smaller deficit than he inherited, and EVERY Republican since Eisenhower has left a LARGER deficit than they inherited, so you can shut your mouth about the deficit until your party actually does something right with it for once. By the way, under Obama, the deficit has shrunk EVERY year, FY 2009 (the last Bush year, since his administration was responsible for the 2009 budget)was 1.4 trillion dollars. That’s the deficit that Obama inherited,and the current deficit is only 774 billion. So, yeah…. What was your point?

sick of Chicago

In 2009, Obama was President for over 11 months and he spent like there was no tomorrow because of course he was backed by a democratic Congress. 2009 the deficit was 1.4 trillion, Bush’s last year .4 trillion, 2010 Obama’s 1.3 with a democratic congress. Now with Republicans making a comeback it is finally coming back down, although still much higher than the Bush years. I am not defending Bush but Obama is far worse. Why is it that candidate Obama claimed Bush was unamerican by having such a large deficit, and his is so much higher and now he never mentions it. And yes Obama spent alot of money in 2009 for HIS stimulus package so don’t keep blaming Bush.

Brian Frang

Oh, great, another Republican who doesn’t understand how budgets work. The budget for Fiscal Year 2014 was written in 2013, last year. This is how it is ALWAYS done and how it has ALWAYS been done. The 2009 budget was written and passed in 2008, before Obama was even elected. Check your facts, next time.

sick of Chicago

Not true, in February of 2009, Obama passed his stimulus, which included the bailout of several green energy, these companies were bailed out in 2009 by Obama, the bill was huge and money started going out in 2009. If you were to check and I know you won’t you would see a number of other bills passed by the democrats to spend money in 2009.

Brian Frang

Yes, he did. And ALL of that was paid for in the 2010 budget, which was still SMALLER than the 2009 budget. The budgets that Obama has been responsible for were 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Brian Frang

The US Governmental budget is the money allotted to be spent in the FOLLOWING year, the deficit comes from any expenditures that go BEYOND what the budget entails, (wow, that came out wrong. The money in the budget is based on the amount of income we have coming in, our tax dollars) which is why it’s a accumulative number. You can’t be responsible for the budget if you’re not in the seat of power when it gets passed.

katiepea

I definitely hated Bush, but I’m not liberal. I do dislike Obama even more however. Mostly due to the fact that more foreign military intervention has occurred and drone strikes continue (actually expanded more everyday) as well as data manipulation about the real jobs situation and unemployment and the unwavering support of financial institutions. It’s all corrupt, both sides, but the Obama administration publicly stating they “can’t prosecute banks because it would be to disruptive to the economy” is basically saying “yeah these guys got us elected, good luck with that” Obama is nothing more than a continuation of Bush.

C. Huus

That is a twisted sense of logic under the guise of being a “moderate.” This attitude is a cop-out and you, sir have no spine. Your opinion is far from based of facts and based on something far outside of reality. To me it stinks of libertarianism.

demagogue

Honestly, not prosecuting wrongdoers in the banks generated more distrust and loathing among my generation than just about anything else. It’s pretty obvious at least some parts of the American system are rigged at this point.

Option R Media

Thats because only REPULICANS are the jackass spoiled children of American society! They never help anyone anymore, in fact they look for ways to take help away, Such kind hearts!Such humble hearts! …Oh wait they have no hearts! What was I thinking!!

Show me a case in where any REPUBLICAN in the last 100 years has wanted to help someone other than themselves…. Dont worry Ill wait!!!……..

And of course REPUBLICANS will say, “The democrats do the same thing”, doing exactly as they always do when corned by truth and facts, show their inability to act as a “LEADER” that should have followers, by pointing the blame to yet another innocent victim!!!

HERE’S ANOTHER ONE!!! SHOW ME A REPUBLICAN WHO IS MAN ENOUGH AND HUMBLE ENOUGH TO ADMIT WHEN THEY ARE WRONG, AND ACCEPT IT WITHOUT TRYING TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE!!! DON’T WORRY ILL WAIT FOR THAT ONE TOO!!

REPUBLICANS, don’t help anyone, want to take help away, WONT fund the government until they can get their hands on the Healthcare act, want to limit what every other human can do with their own STINKING lives!! HOW CAN ANYONE SUPPORT THEM????

kyle_gibson

I didn’t think ignorance like this existed outside of the republican party, but alas I have seen it.

Sorry, but you’re about as unreasonable and capricious as the republican you described. You just happen to be a democrat.

Option R Media

Give me a case were an REPUBLICAN has tried to pass a bill in the last 100 years that helps anyone! Ill wait!

Option R Media

.you’ll say “business owners” but thats the group they belong to, so your response should be nothing…..
REPUBS don’t have hearts, heart means you LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS and not the other way around…. Show me a REPUBLICAN that is a man of honor, a respectable that can ADMIT when they’re wrong!!

Give me a example of a REPUBLICAN in the last hundred years that accepts responsibility without pointing a finger at another person…. Cowards!

dsaa

Ill name one. Ron Paul. He is all about freedom and liberty. He has said the same thing for years. He always voted the same way- with the American people in mind. He wants us to have freedom and does not want Big Brother controlling/watching us. I don’t know how you could possibly think he was just trying to help himself.

NonReligious Red

One guy does not a party make, I’m afraid. And doesn’t Ron Paul lean a little more Libertarian than Republican? Besides, he was shut out of the Republican party at every turn. Poor guy tried hard (and I have a lot of respect for him on certain issues), but when the whole damn party is relying on crazy-stupid ignorance, there’s not much for a sane, smart guy to do.

Brian Frang

Ron Paul wants to privatize the prison system (making prison, the largest lobby in the United States. a for-profit enterprise) and return us to the gold standard (which would cripple our economy, and was, in fact, one of the causes of the Great Depression). How exactly is Ron Paul either sane or smart?

That’s because when Bush came into office, the economy was strong, the budget was balanced, the dollar was strong, and unemployment rates were low. The opposite of what happened when Obama came into office.

chiefjgmac

Why did Bush not blame Clinton for not taking Bin Laden when he was offered? 9-11 might not have happened……..

Brian Frang

I already answered this, no reason to do so again.

chiefjgmac

No you didn’t…….

Buttnugget

Clinton left Bush with a country full of factories closing and heading out because he got NAFTA passed.

I mean if he always blames him and has said it so much like you are saying it should be all over the internet , right????

chiefjgmac

Yo Bro, come out of your bubble. The smoke in there is fogging your brain!!!

Option R Media

….Again please provide actual proof, see us smart, intelligent people know that you cant make these claims unless you can back them up….SO AGAIN PLEASE PROVIDE PROOF, STOP RUNNING!!!
NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!
IM WAITING!!!

Leland F

The ONLY Republican of the modern era who gave a damn about people was Eisenhower. And the ONLY reason he WAS a Republican was because he was from Kansas (If you’re not a Republican in Kansas, it’s nearly impossible to have ANY political future! I know–I live here!) and they were the ones that nominated him.

Option R Media

SEEE NO EXAMPLE OF A REPUBLICAN HELPING ANY HUMAN SINCE EISENHOWER!!!! AND YOU STILL CANT SEE WHY I DONT SUPPORT THEM!!!! I AM FOR THE PEOPLE NOT MONEY , FOCUSING ON MONEY AKA CAPITOLISIM HAS GOTTEN US IN THIS HUGE DEBACLE IN THE FIRST PLACE, PEOPLE FOCUS ON TRIMMING FAT TO KEEP THE COMPANY ALIVE, FIRING PEOPLE TO KEE THE COMPANY ALIVE, TRADING PEOPLE FOR TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP THE BUSINESS ALIVE!!!

THE SELFISH SELF SERVING ATTITUDE OF THE CAPITOLIST IS DESTROYING AMERICA, THEY ONLY WAY OUT IS TO THINK OF PEOPLE!!!!

I AM FOR THE PEOPLE!!

Caroline Dean Thornburgh

Bush, Condi & Dick dropped the ball on Al-Quaeda. Clinton left them detailed reports on what Bin Laden was doing and advised how to handle it. They ignored it while they irresponsibly spent the enormous surplus Clinton had accumulated. After 9/11, while America was grounded … Bin Laden family members were flown out of the USA and back to their sand castles. History will condemn Bush & Cheney to the bottom of the barrel. Dick Cheney shot an Austin attorney in the face at a hunting lease in South TX. Before emergency personnel were called, they had already air-lifted Dickhead off the ranch and headed back to Austin. They left the country in horrible straits which Obama has worked tirelessly to correct. Obama also did what they couldn’t – he iced Osama Bin Laden and buried him at the bottom of an ocean to prevent any martyrdom.

chiefjgmac

Why didn’t Clinton get Bin Laden when he had the chance?

Brian Frang

Because Bin Laden hadn’t attacked us, yet. We aren’t the world police, and we can’t just go around fucking with people we don’t like. Something Bush forgot when he LIED about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, so that he could go depose Hussein.

chiefjgmac

You have any military background? Sadam had WMD, used them on the Iranians and even on his own people. Oh, and thank you for keeping the conversation clean!!!

Brian Frang

If Hussein had WMDs, why is it we could never find them and the CIA even admitted that there had never been any?

chiefjgmac

You still didn’t answer my question. Do you have any military background? He had them and he used them, in the 70’s or 80’s against the Iranians and in 91 against his own people after the Gulf war. “…and the CIA even admitted that there had never been any?” This just is not true, just a matter of CIA covering their a**. He had them, used them, and shipped remainder to Syria.

sick of Chicago

PROOF!

Elmo

don’t negotiate with terrorists.

The AntiChrist

And they couldnt get a budget passed during DUHbya’s tenure…. Despite having a ReTHUGlican Congress. Obviously they didnt care, or were too stupid.

And yes, Duhbya was one of the worst, as noted in every poll except KKK and neo-nazi sites.

Dennis

This was Obama’s shutdown. Plain and simple. He is the “leader of the free world”. He is the “most powerful man in the world”. He’s the President of the United States of America. As such, he needs to accept responsibility of his position. He can’t lay claim to the position only when things are going good and then blame the bad things on everyone else. He knew this shutdown was coming. The Republicans spoke out against the Affordable Care Act numerous times before the shutdown and he refused to listen to them or talk about things. Heck, a week before the shutdown, Ted Cruz spoke for 21 hours against it. He knew this was coming and refused to do a thing about it. He’s the boss. He is the one responsible for getting things done and keeping things moving.

DarciaM

Neither of those titles are official or documented. What do you want him to do? Give Congress a spanking? This isn’t a parliament where the Queen can just dissolve the board if they can’t get their job done. The Executive Branch can’t force Congress to do ANYTHING.

LittleD

No – this was NOT Obama’s shutdown. Obama shut NOTHING down. This was a hissy fit by a republican congress who did not get their way when they tried to repeal Obamacare forty something times (what a waste of time, money and energy). The ACA has been the law for three years. There was nothing to talk about. This was not to be used as a blackmail tool. Republicans need to grow the eff up and start doing something productive , rather than spending all of their time trying to undermine the President.

WGAF

Bush was NOT Black……therin lies the difference.

Tom

I believe the Republicans have an agenda to spend all they can when they are in control and run the budget up and then demand cuts in social programs when a Democrat gets in and try to place the blame on them. In their short sighted minds they think it will appear that Democrats and social programs have caused the problem and draw attention away from the fact that they, the REPUBLICANS, are actually the cause of the problem with their spending. They wouldn’t attempt to cut these programs on their watch, there would just be too much outrage. Just look at the history for the last 60 years to see the truth, something Republicans ignore and want the public to ignore as well.

Do any of you realize how many Democrats in congress are multi millionars? if the Dems had their way we`d have A welfare state. Get off your asses and find A job instead of waiting for the next handout. you want to live like that go to some communist country. Dems have had many opportunities to make this country better but only one ever did. F.D.R. Who the hell do you think ran&still runs theKKK? Who destroyed the south for so long? Who kept the Koreian war going? Viet Nam? the big screw-ups under Jimmy Carter?